washingtonscene
White House Gathering Obama and Shinseki meet with MOAA’s president.
M
OAA President Vice Adm. Norb Ryan Jr., USN-Ret., with a small group of military and vet-
erans’ association leaders, was invited to the White House in late July for a discus- sion with President Obama, National Secu- rity Advisor Gen. James Jones, USMC-Ret., and VA Secretary Eric Shinseki. The group received updates on topics
such as progress on implementing automat- ed systems for processing GI bill payments, reducing veteran homelessness, and attack- ing the disability-claims backlog. Ryan related his recent discussions with
VA officials in Gainesville, Fla., where the VA has had success in reducing homeless- ness, but he said the key is jobs and ensur- ing veterans are meaningfully employed. Ryan also urged the administration’s
support for Sen. Daniel Akaka’s (D-Hawaii) bill (S. 3447) to correct several important
oversights on the Post-9/11 GI Bill law — most particularly authorizing payments for nondegree-granting vocational and job- training programs. Many returning veterans are shocked to learn — unlike all previous GI bill legislation — the Post-9/11 GI Bill does not cover vocational training programs that are essential to helping veterans find meaningful employment.
Spouses
Speak Out MyCAA ruling is decried.
S
everal military spouses met with Rep. Glenn Nye (D-Va.) Aug. 17 to voice their concerns over the Penta-
gon’s restructured Military Spouse Career Advancement Account (MyCAA) program. Nye, a former foreign service officer who has served alongside servicemembers in conflict zones such as Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan, has been on record (along with MOAA) criticizing DoD’s handling of the MyCAA program since it temporarily was halted in February. Nye hosted a roundtable discussion in
his Virginia Beach field office to get a first- hand report from military spouses affected by the program changes. MOAA Govern- ment Relations Deputy Director Col. Mike Hayden, USAF-Ret., participated in the ses- sion, pointing out MOAA is working with potential Senate sponsors to seek a floor amendment to this year’s defense bill. The MyCAA program, designed to
MOAA President Vice Adm. Norb Ryan Jr., USN-Ret., and other veterans’ association leaders were invited to the White House in late July to discuss issues such as helping veterans find employment, reducing veteran homelessness, and improving the disability-claims process.
3 2 MI L I T A R Y O F F I C E R O C TO B E R 2 0 1 0
support portable careers for military spouses, recently was reopened — but only to spouses of first-term enlisted ser- vicemembers and younger officers. The spouses in attendance were criti- cal of DoD’s restrictions, characterizing the changes as a “breach of contract.” One spouse who initially had qualified and taken advantage of the program said
PHOTO: WHITE HOUSE
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